Filling and crowning mechanism



1939- w. l. GLADFELTER 2,184,493

FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 25, 1935 SSheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 26, 1939. w. 1. GLADFELTER FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 23, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 m H 5 Hm 4 mm n l. m 4 11 mm W Ei (III Dec. 26, 1939.

Filed Nov. 23, 1935 w. l. GLADFELTER FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 26, 1939. w. l. G'LADFELTER FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM a Sheis-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 23, 1935 2 a a 5 v Ally/ll"? J 1939- w. l. GLADFELTER FILLING AND CRQWNING MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 23, 1935 a I Y Eg zzqgjo.

Dec. 26, 1939- w. GLADFELTER FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 23, 1935 8 Sheets- Sheet 6 BMW 2mm; 1' add aw 2 w. GLADFELTER 4, 93

FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM Filad Nov. 23, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet '7 Dec. 26, 1939," w. l. GLADFELTER FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 23, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 b b b D D b b t b P b D I P p b b b b P b b b D P b b b b I b b b b b b b b b I D b b b b h h b b b b D b D b )Pbbvbrblbbblb Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES OFFICE FILLING AND CROWNING MECHANISM Application November 23, 1935, Serial No. 51,291

7 Ulaims.

The present invention relates to filling and crowning mechanisms, and, more particularly, to mechanisms for filling and crowning either bottlesor cans. I

Filling machines now in use are not capable of filling and crowning all of the various types of containers used for beer, via, long-necked bottles of the well known form, short-necked bottles, and cans, because of the marked differences in the shapes of these various types of containers. Diiierent problems are presented in the filling and the crowning of each of the types of containers mentioned, both because of the differences in the shapes of the three types, and also because of the fact that they are formed of different materials.

with regard to the diiierent problems presented because of the different materials of which the containers are formed, because abottle is formed of rigid material, its mouth and lip will not bend or give in any respect so that it will be accommodated to the crowning die or cap. Also, in manufacturing bottles, particularly until recent years, it was impossible to mold a series of bottles of supposedlyidentical characteristics without there being some irregularity or diflference between the heights as well as in the shapes of the mouths of individual bottles. The lack of uniformity at the months is a serious factor in the crowning of bottles and necessitates that sufllcient pressure must be exerted upon the cap during the application of the same, to insure that the cap will be efficiently sealed to the bottle despite all such irregularities and without breakage.

Another problem ancillary to the fact that bottles are formed of glass is that arising because bottles cannot be molded with their mouths uni- .formly concentric with the axis of the body portion of the bottle. Therefore, some means must be provided upon the lower portion of a filling or a crowning head'for bottles to insure that the mouths of the same will be accurately centered with respect to such heads. Since the mouths of the bottles are not necessarily perfectly concentric with the axis of the body portion, and also because the body portions are not of perfectly uniform diameter, the spider or other member which presents the bottle to the filling or crowning head cannot be of such shape as to have a perfect fit about each bottle and cannot be relied upon, alone, to center the mouth of the bottle with respect to the filling or the crowning head.

I All of the above-mentioned irregularities with regard to bottles particularly apply to longnecked beer bottles, some of which were molded perhaps twelve years ago, at which time bottle molding apparatuses had not reached the pres- 6 ent-degree of perfection. The new short-necked bottles, madewithpresent day improved apparatus, do not lack uniformity to such a substantial degree,

In the filling and crowning of cans, since 10 these are formed of metal, and with present day improved apparatus, they can be produced with substantially uniform dimensions and therefore can be readily centered with respect to the filling or crowning head by spiders or other means having pockets of' uniform shape and without the necessity of any centering means upon the filling and crowning heads themselves. Furthermore, since the cans are formed of metal, it has been found that a cap can be eiilciently sealed upon the mouth of the container at a comparatively low pressure and with a straightwalled die throat, due to the fact that the mouth of'the can will bend to a slight extent to even more efliciently mold itself to the shape of the die and cap. The practical importance of this difference between a can and a bottle will be appreciated when it is understood that a can may be efiiciently crowned with a crowning pressure of approximately three hundred pounds, whereas approximately seven hundred and fifty pounds must be exerted in the emcient crowning of a glass container. Since a. can may be sealed under a relatively low crowning pressure, cans to he crowned are designed to withstand only pressure approximating that figure and would be distorted ii crowned by a head actuated under bottle crowning pressure.

Another consideration which must be borne in mind in the crowning of a can, is the fact 40 that the can has a short neck and unless the die is designed to completely seal the cap to the can by a shorter movement than ordinarily, the die will strike and deform the upper wall of the can body. A straight-wall die throat will obviate this difliculty.

Bottles such as the newly designed, shortnecked bottles, that is, of fairly uniform characteristics, may also be crowned by a die ineluding a straight-walled thI'O-Etybllt must be crowned under the same relatively high pressure as has been heretofore used, because of the fact that the bottle will of course not bend to accommodate itself to the die.

Aside from the above-discumed problems arising because of the different materials of which the containers are formed, other problems arise in the filling of the three types of containers, because of the fact that they are of different shapes. That is to say, the well known type of beer bottle is provided with a long neck, whereas the new type bottle, and also the can, are provided with extremely short necks. This difference in shape is particularly important in conhection'with the flowing of counterpressure gas to the containers during the filling cycle. Quite frequently during the filling stage of the filling cycle, when the counterpressure gas is being vented from the container to permit liquid to flow into the same, a small amount of liquid will fiow upwardly into the counterpressure passage. Such liquid will remain in the passage until a second container is placed beneath the filling head and the filling valve is actuated to cause gas to flow downwardly through the counterpressure passage. When this fiow occurs, the liquid will initially fiow from the passage. If the counterpressure passage is so designed that the gas and any liquid which may precede the same can drop directly downwardly into the container, the impact of the liquid with the bottom of the container will cause foaming and such foaming may continue after the fiow of liquid during the filling stage has started. It is therefore desirable to so form the counterpressure passage that it will direct counterpressure fiow outwardly against the side walls of the bottle so that any liquid in the passage may fiowquietly downwardly along the walls of'the container.

It is usual to have the counterpressure passages provided in the centering bell used for filling beer bottles, but since a centering bell cannot be used with a can, due to the shortness of its neck, it is necessary to provide other arrangements to insure that liquid in the countermands of the consuming public, each plant must be able to market beer in containers of at least two, if not all three, of the typesreferred to, and it is therefore highly desirable that a machine be provided which will be universally applicable.

Theprincipal object of the present invention is to provide filling and crowning mechanisms which will be readily adapted for the filling and crowning of various types of containers, of both glass and metal, and which will also be adjustable to operate upon a wide size range of containers.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a crowning die which is particularly designed for the crowning of metal containers and which may also be used upon bottles of at least fairly uniform characteristics.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a filling head which will be readily adaptable for the filling of either long or shortnecked containers.

The crowning heads ordinarily used in the crowning of containers include a cap supporting platform beneath the crowning throat and presser foot and on which the cap may be deposited by the crown feeding mechanism preby the usual cap chute.

liminarily to the crowning of the container. Such an arrangement is entirely satisfactory with a long-necked container, but may not be used in the crowning of a short-necked container, because of the small clearances referred to above.

Another important object of the present invention' is to provide a means for supporting the cap upon the crowning head preliminarily to the crowning operation, so that the crowning head may be used for crowning either long-necked or short-necked containers.

A preferred embodiment of the above invention comprises the use of a. magnetic element in the crowning head and to which the cap will adhere after it has been delivered to the crowning head One difficulty arises from the use of such an arrangement with metal containers such as cans, because of the fact that. at intervals, the filling mechanism may entirely fail to fill a can presented thereto. When the unfilled can subsequently reaches the crowning mechanism, it will adhere to the magnetic element of the crowning head and difiiculties will arise in the endeavour of the outfeed mechanism to remove the same from the crowning mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means to prevent a can from adhering to the crowning head and to cause it to remain on the container supporting platform, regardless of whether it is filled or empty.

.Other objects and advantages of, the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 "is a plan view'of a filling machine, with portions broken away;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 2a is a vertical sectional view through the stationary guide member of the crowning mechanism;

Figure 3 is a side view, partly in section, showing the elements used for filling a long-necked bottle;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the elements used for filling a can;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the elements used in filling a short-necked bottle;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the crowning mechanism;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the mouth of a crowned can;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of the mouth of a crowned bottle;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view of a crowning head for bottles operating to crown a longnecked bottle;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view showing the crowning head of Figure 9 operating to crown a short-necked bottle;

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view of a crowning head for cans operating to crown a can;

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line |2-'-l2 of Figure 13;

Figure 13 is a horizontal sectional view taken on a line substantially corresponding to line Iii-l3 of Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a bottom plan view of a crowning throat for metal containers;

Figure 15 is a vertical sectional view on the line l5-l5 of Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a vertical sectional view of a crowning throat for bottles;

Figure 17 is-a view, partly in vertical section, of a modified form of crowning mechanism;

Figure 18 is a vertical sectional view, on a larger scale, of a crowning head used in the Figure 17 construction;

Figure 19 is a horizontal sectional view on the line l9--l9 of Figure 18, showing a can su porting element, and

Figure 20 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the can supporting element illustrated in Figure 19, showing a can supported thereon- Referring to Figures 1 to 16, inclusive, the numeral generally designates the filling and crowning mechanism illustrated in these figures and, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the machine comprises a worktable or stationary table 26 having a filling mechanism 21 positioned at its rear edge. The stationary table may be generally described as including the usual straight line conveyor 28 whichmoves containers to be filled to an infeed spider 29, which spiderpositions the containers upon the container supporting platforms 30 of the filling table 32 of the filling mechanism. After being filled, the containers are removed from the filling table by a spider 3B which moves the containers to the crowning mechanism 31. From the crowning mechanism the containers move back upon the straight line conveyor 28 which then conducts them fromthe machine;

The upper portion 38 of the filling mechanism, which carries the filling reservoir and the filling heads 40, is vertically adjustable with respect to the filling table 32, which carries the container supporting platforms 30, in substantially the same manner as in the structure described in feed spider and the spider for moving containers from the filling table to the crowning mechanism is substantially the same as that disclosed in the above mentioned Stewart and Gladfelter application and includes a plate 46 secured to the stationary table and having its inner edges formed as indicated at 41 to so cooperate with the spiders 29 and 36f that containers will be moved in the proper arcuate paths about the spiders. A portion 48 projects from the plate 46 and over thecontainer supporting platform 30 to guide the containers from the container supporting platforms and into the path of movement of the spider 38.

The crowning mechanism 31 is generally similar to that disclosed in the above mentioned Stewart and Gladfelter application and comprises a non-rotatable post 49 upon wh ch the mechanism is supported, and a hollow shaft 50 rotatable about the post by suitable driving mechanism. The crowning heads, generally indicated by the numeral 5|, are mounted for movement of the post. The post 49 is vertically adjusted by actuation of a worm shaft, not shown in the present application, which engages a worm wheel 53 keyedto the extreme lower end of the post, as best shown in Figure 2. The table or dial 54 of the capping mechanism rotates with the hollow shaft 50 and a containerhody engaging spider 55, hereinafter described, is removably secured to the table 54 in a manner hereinafter set forth, so that the spider may be changed to accommodate containers of different sizes and conformations. A container neck engaging spider 58 mayalso be removably secured to the'lower sleeve 52a of the crowner casting as hereinafter described.

Guide brackets 51 are secured to the surface of the stationary table 25 adjacent the rotating dial of the crowning mechanism 31 to hold containers properly positioned within the pockets of the spider 55. The brackets 5'! are adjustably secured to the stationary table so that they may be moved either inwardly or outwardly with respect to the axis of the crowning mechanism, according to the diameter of the containers being crowned. 5

Except as hereinafter described, the machine of the present invention is constructed and operates in the same manner as the machine disclosed in the above mentioned Stewart and Gladfelter application. i

It will be understood that throughout the present description of the invention, the operationisdescribed for a long-necked bottle, shortnecked bottle and can, each of like capacity, and that the sizes of the various elements may be suitably changed, and the machine likewise adjusted to accommodate a series of long-necked bottles, short-necked bottles and cans of other capacities.

Filling nozzle for long-necked bottles .The filling heads 40 are generally similar to those disclosed in the above mentioned Stewart and Gladfelter application, and when a longnecked beer bottle LB of the well known type is to be filled, the filling head 40' is fitted with a nozzle supporting collar 59 shown in Figure 3 and secured to the lower surface of the head by a ring-nut 60. The collar 59 carr es a filling nozzle 6| with a centering bell 62 slidable thereon, all of these elements being identical with those disclosed in the above mentioned application, and, as explained in that-application. the filling head is provided with a liquid passage '63 and a counter-pressure passage 84. flow through which is controlled by a filling valve 65. The collar 59 is provided with a bore 66 into which theupper end of the filling nozzle 6| is threaded, this bore and the filling nozzle be ng ali ned with the liquid passage 63 of the filling head body. The collar 59 is also provided with a passage 51 having its upper endaligned with the lower end of the counterpressure passage 64 of the filling head body, the lower end of the passage 61 opening to a counterbore 68 concentric with the bore 66. i

As is shown in Figure 3. when the centering bell 82 is in upward position with its upper end I bearing upon the resilient packing member provided on the underside of the collar 59 concentric with the counterbore 88, the counterbore 68 comprises a chamber into which opens the upper end of a spiral passage I0 extending through the centering bell around the outer wall of the filling nozzle 8|. By the above arrangement, when a long-necked bottle LB is positioned upon a container supporting platform 39, it will be moved upwardly about the filling nozzle 6! in the usual manner by the rise of the container supporting platform as the latter is rotated away from the stationary table, and the contact of the mouth of the bottle with the underside of the centering bell will cause the centering bell to properly center the bottle with regard to the filling nozzle 6|. The continuing upward movement of the bottle about the centering nozzle will result in contact of the centering nozzle against the packing 69 of collar 59 and the sealing of the mouth of the bottle against the resilient insert H in the bell.

When the filling valve 65 is actuated to cause counterpressure gas to flow into the bottle through the passages 64, 61 and spiral passage 70, the conformation of the latter passage will cause this gas to flow tangentially outwardly and downwardly from the centering bell andagainst the inner wall of the neck of the bottle. The provision of the spiral passage 1|) is important because during the filling of a bottle, beer may fiow upwardly from the bottle into the lower portion of the counterpressure passage and such beer will be retained in this passage until the filling valve is actuated to fiow counterpressure gas into the next succeeding container. If such liquid were free to drop straight downwardly into a bottle, some foamingmight occur and foaming of the beer flowed into the bottle during the subsequent filling stage might be initiated. The provision of a spiral outlet passage for the counterpressure gas to direct such gas or any liquid which may be in the passage outwardly against the inner wall of the container will obviate the possibility of the foaming referred to.

Filling nozzle for short-necked bottles As shown in Figure 5, in the filling of a shortnecked bottle SB, the filling nozzle GI and centering bell 62 shown in Figure 3 for filling a longnecked bottle would bereplaced by a filling nozzle 6 la and centering bell 62a. The filling nozzle 5 hr is identical in construction with the filling nozzle 6| but is somewhat shorter than the latter, though of suificient length to permit the beer to fiow into the bottle from a point closely adjacent the bottom of the bottle to prevent foaming. The

nozzle is also of such diameter as to displace a predetermined quantity of beer so that when the nozzle is drawn from the entirely filled bottle, the level of the beer will be at the proper point. The centering bell 82a is exactly similar to the centering bell 62 except that its skirt 15 is shorter than the skirt of the bell 62 and flared to a slightly greater extent, this construction permitting the bell to properly accommodate the short-necked bottle without contacting with the upper shoulder of the body portion of the bottle.

Filling nozzle for cans In the filling of cans C as shown in Figure 4, the filling nozzle supporting collar 59 and the filling nozzles and centering bells illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 would be replaced by the filling nozzle supporting collar and filling nozzle 8| ilustrated in Figure 4. As is shown in the latter figure, the collar 88 is secured to the lower portion of the filling head l|| by the ring-nut 60 so that a central bore 82 and an inclined bore 83, both in the collar, will have their upper ends aligned with the liquid fiow passage 63 and counterpressure gas pasage 64, respectively, of the filling head body portion. The center pasage 82 of the collar 80 is counterbored as indicated at 84 to a point substantially midway of the latter and the upper end of the filling nozzle 8| is threaded into this counterbore, as shown. A packing or sealing ring 85 is secured in the lower end of the collar 80. so that when a container is in filling position, its mouth will be sealed to the collar as shown in Figures 4 and 5. A counterbore 86 extends upwardly from the lower end of the collar, within the packing ring 85, and opens to the lower end 81 of the counterpressure passage 83.

When the filling nozzle 8| is threaded into the counterbore 84, the provision of the counterbore 86 will provide a relatively narrow annular passage 86 about the exterior of the filling nozzle within the collar 80 and concentric with the nozzle. The provision of this narrow passage will enable counterpressure gas to flow downwardly from the collar 80. In order that such gas, and also any liquid which may be present in the passage, will be directed outwardly and against the inner wall of the mouth of the can C, a shoulder 90, preferably concavely arcuate in vertical cross-section, as shown in Figure 4, is provided upon the filling nozzle 8|. Gas or liquid flowing downwardly from the passage 86 will abut against the shoulder 90 and be deflected outwardly so that liquid will fiow quietly down the inner wall of the container. It is of course important that the shoulder 90 be properly positioned with respect to the mouth of the can, but the provision of the counterbore 84 in the collar 80 provides a shoulder against which the upper end of the filling nozzle may abut when it is threaded into the collar, thereby fixing the position of the shoulder 90 with respect to the lower end of the collar 80.

The filling nozzle 8| is of shorter length then the filling nozzle 6|a, but is of sufiiciently large diameter to displace enough liquid that, when the filling is completed, a space will be left about the level of the beer in the can to allow for expansion of the beer during subsequent pasteurization.

Features of the filling structures of Figures 3, 4 and 5 not claimed herein are described and claimed in my divisional application for Filling mechanisms Serial No. 274,645, filed May 19, 1939..

Operation of filling nozzles For filling long-necked bottles LB, the upper portion of the filling mechanism would be adjusted to the proper height with respect to the filling table 32 and each filling head 60 fitted with a collar 59, filling tube 6| and centering bell 62 as illustrated in Figure 3. As the filling mechanism rotates, each bottle will be filled with counterpressure gas through the passages 64, 61 and 70 and liquid will be subsequently flowed into the bottles through the nozzle 6|.

In order to fill short-necked bottles, as sk c wn in Figure 5, each collar 59 would have the :llling nozzle GI and centering bell 62 removed them from and replaced with a nozzle 6m and centerini" bell 62a. The upper portion 38 of the filling n. echanism would be lowered to the proper height for the shorter bottles and the mechanism would then be ready for operation. 'As the bottles move about the table, counterpressure gas would fiow downwardly into each bottle through the pi..- sages 64, 61 and I0 and against the inner wall of the neck of the bottle. Subsequently, beer would For filling cans C, asshown in Figure 4, the filling heads would be equipped with the collars 80 and nozzles 0| and the upper portion 38 ofthe filling mechanism would be lowered to the proper extent to have the mouths of the cans contact with the sealing ring 85 in each collar. In filling, counterpressure gas would flow downwardly into the cans through the passages 64, 83 and 86 into contact with the shoulder 90 on nozzle 9|, the shoulder deflecting any liquid which may be in the passages against the inner wall of the neck of the bottle. Subsequently, beer would 1 flow downwardly into the bottle through the nozzle 0|.

The crowning mechanism As best shown in Figure 6, the body portion 52 of the crowning mechanism 31 surrounds a smaller casting I00 fixed to the upper portion of the post 49 and the cylinders IOI of the crowning heads 5| are mounted in vertical bores I02 of the body portion52 in the usual manner and with rollers I03 rotatably mounted adjacent their upper ends to move in the cam track of casting I00 so thatthe crowning cylinders will be moved vertically to and from crowning position. The body portion of the crowning mechanism is also provided at its lower end with a ring I 04 provided with substantially semi-circular pockets I05 (Figure 13) through which the crowning head may descend. When a crowning cylinder is in raised position, its lower portion will be flush with the underside of the ring I04.

A cap hopper IIO of well known construction is secured to the upper end of the post 49 and a cap chute 'I II extends downwardly from the hopper I I0 to a point substantially opposite the ring I04 of the crowning mechanism body portion, all as in the Stewart and Gladfelter construction referred to above.

The lower end of the chute III is supported by a bracket I I2 depending from the crown hopper and the under or outer wall of the chute III is continued inwardly as best shown at H3 in Figures 6 and 13 to a point adjacent the central depending sleeve 52a of the body portion 52 and in such a plane that it will be closely adjacent the lower portion of a crowning head as the latter moves past the cap chute, at which time the crowning cylinder IOI will be in raised position. The horizontal continuation H3 01 the cap chute forms the central portion of a wiper or cap supporting plate I I4 formed of plate I I3 and two end plates II5 having their outer portions secured to the depending bracket II2 as best illustrated in Figure 13.

As shown in Figure 12, the inner end of the chute plate II3 carries across plate II3a which bears against the undersides oi the plates II5. This arrangement will prevent plate H3, carried by the chute III, from rising above the rigid plates II5.

Cap latches IIB are mounted upon the bracket II2 adjacent the lower end of the side walls II1 of the cap chute III as illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, these latches being of the type disclosed in my application for Bottle capping machine, Serial No. 3,176, filed January 23, 1935, and being pivoted in the usual manner upon studs H8 and being tended toward each other and toward the outer surface of the crown ring I04 by a coil spring II 9 joining the two latches.

It will be observed that by the above construction, caps may move downwardly through the chute III between the latches H9 and upon the cap supporting plate I I4 carried at the lower end of the cap chute.

Each of the crowning heads comprises one of the cylinders IOI vertically reciprocable in a bore .102, the upper end or the cylinder being closed by a block I22 against which bears the upper end of a relatively strong spring I23 having its lower end bearing upon a shoulder I24 on a sleeve I25, the spring I23 thereby tending to hold the sleeve I25 and the mechanism carried thereby in extreme downward position. The sleeve I25 is guided in the cylinder IOI and its downward movement is also limited by key blocks I26 secured to the sleeve and moving in vertical slots I21 in the walls of the cylinder IOI and which, in the extreme "downward movement of the sleeve I25, will abut against the collar I28 threaded into the lower end of the cylinder IOI. The lower end of the sleeve I25 is enlarged as indicated at I29 to form a chamber for the crowning dies.

Crowning dies for cans As best shown in Figure 11, the crowning dies used for cans include a rigid throat ring I35 secured in the chamber I29 by means of set screws I36 extending inwardly through the walls of the chamber into pockets in the outer wall of the throat ring. Thelower edge I31 of the throat ring extends downwardly past the lower edge of the chamber I29 except at its outermost portion, that is, the portion furthest from the axis of the entire crowning mechanism, there being a cut-out I38 at the last named portion (Figures 11, 14 and 15). The lower wall of the chamber I29 is likewise slightly cut away at the corresponding portion and the upper edges of both cut-out portions are outwardly and upwardly inclined as indicated at I39 in Figure 11 to form a smooth in- .clined surface. As best shown in Figures 14 and 15, the outer edges I40 of the depending wall I31 are roundedand cut away, all for a purpose hereinafter set forth. The bore I42 through the throat ring I35 is perfectly straight, unlike previous throat rings, and is of slightly less diameter than the opening between the depending wall of the throat ring. The lower edge of the bore is slightly rounded as indicated at I43.

As shown in Figure 11, the throat ring I35 bears against 'a collar I44 threaded in the lower portion of the sleeve I25 and the collar I44 centers a presser foot I45 formed of permanently magnetized material. The presser foot is provided with the usual shoulder I45 adjacent its 'upper end against which bears a presser toot spring I41, which is somewhat lighter than the spring I23. The upper end oi the presser foot spring bears against the upper and inner end of the sleeve I25. A reduced portion I40 on the upper end of the presser foot serves to center the spring I41 about the same and is provided with a socket I49 varranged opposite a presser foot stop rod or connecting member I50, which rod is threaded in the upper end of the cylinder I25 as indicated at I5I and has its outer end ex: tending entirely through the upper end oi." the cylinder IOI (Figure 6). The extreme upper end of the rod I50 is squared so that a tool may be applied to the same to adjust the position of its lower end in the cylinder I25 and with respect to the presser foot I45. The-rod I50 is adapted to be held in adjusted position by means of a square socketed member I52 intended to be held upon the upper end of the cylinder IN by removable screws. A cover plate I53 may be provided on the top of the body portion 52 of the crowning mechanism over the socket member I52.

Cans to be crowned are delivered to the dial or rotating table 54 of the crowning mechanism by the spider 36 and positioned in pockets of the crowning spider 55. Because of the fact that cans can be formed of uniform diameter, the pockets of the spider may be designed to have a close clearance with the walls of the can and the guide brackets 51 may also be adjusted to have a close clearance with the cans in the spider pockets. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2a, the guiding bracket 51 may be provided during the crowning of cans with an overhanging bracket I65 which overlies the portion of the path of travel of the can during which the crowning head is rising, preventing an empty can from being drawn upwardly by the magnetic presser foot.

Operation of crowning head for cans When the crowning mechanism is to operate upon a can, the post 49 is adjusted downwardly so that the lower end of each crowning head will be at the proper point, with regard to the mouth of the can, when in the lowermost position imparted thereto by the circular cam track in the block I00. The cap hopper, cap chute and the cap supporting plate II4 will move downwardly with the body portion of the crowning mechanism so that when a crowning head is in the uppermost position imparted thereto by the cam track of block I00, it will pass above the plate I I4 with the depending portion I31 of its throat ring closely adjacent the upper surface of the plate.

Also, in crowning cans, the presser foot stop rod I50 is adjusted upwardly so that its lower end will be positioned as shown in Figure 6 and spaced from the upper end of the presser foot a suflicient distance that the entire upward forcing movement imparted by the can to the presser foot during the crowning operation will still leave the presser foot out ofcontact with the lower end of the stop rod. Figure 11 shows the extreme upward movement of the presser foot I45 in the crowning of a can and, as there illustrated, the upper end of the presser foot is still out of contact with the lower end of the stop rod I50.

As a crowning head rotates about the post 49 in a clockwise direction (Figure 1) it will move over the cap supporting plate II5 while in an upward position. The portion of the crown ring I04 adjacent and in advance of the throat of the crowning head will hold back the line of caps in the chute II I but when the open side I38 of the throat ring I35 comes opposite the lower end of the chute, the lowermost cap in the chute will move into throat ring and beneath the presser foot, due to the weight of the other caps in the chute and also because of the blast of air directed against the lowermost cap by the usual air nozzle I56. The cap will be centered in its movement across the plate I I4 by the latch members H6. The inward movement of the cap into the throat ring will of course be stopped by the depending wall I31 of the ring and the inwardly and downwardly inclined upper surface of the opening I38 will properly direct the cap, its movement into the throat ring being further directed and centered by the rounded and inclined edges I40 and I of the ring.

The continuing rotation of the crowning mechanism will move the crowning head from above the plate II4 but before the presser foot leaves the plate, its magnetism will cause the cap to adhere thereto so that it will not drop from the crowning die.

It will be observed that the construction described above provides a means for retaining a cap in an open-mouth or flush-bottom crowning die or crowning chamber. By the terms openmouth or flush-bottom crowning die or crowning chamber is meant. a die or chamber which is not provided with the usual ledge or shoulder in its mouth or lower portion upon which a cap may rest in the interval between its delivery intothe die or chamber and its sealing upon a container.

As the crowning head continues its clockwise movement, a can will be inserted in the spider pocket beneath the crowning head, and the crowning cylinder IIII of which the crowning head forms a partwill be moved downwardlybythe cam track in block I00. Near the lower end of this movement, the cap adhering to the lower end of the presser foot I 45 will surround the mouth of the can and, as the downward movement of the cylinder continues, the contact of the lip of the can with the underside of the top of the cap will substantially stop or retard further downward movement of the presser foot so that the presser foot will be held in the position shown in Figure 11, while the throat ring I35 will continue downward movement about the skirt of the cap. The holding of the presser foot against downward movementwill cause the presser foot spring I" to be contracted so that a pressure approximating one hundred pounds will be exerted upon the cap and can by the presser foot spring. The downward movement of the throat ring I35 will cause the lower rounded edge I43 of its bore to first slightly iron the skirt inwardly and as the straight bore I42 moves downwardly about the cap, the length of the skirt will be ironed inwardly so that, during the final downward movement, the lower portion of the skirt will be turned well inwardly to the form illustrated in Figure 7. The only pressure exerted by the downwardly moving throat ring will be that necessary to break down, i. e., initially bend, the cap skirt, and will be but about two hundred pounds, making the total crowning pressure on the can only three hundred pounds.

The application of a cap by a rigid crowning throat having a straight walled bore gives a result with regard to cans that is extremely eflicient, because of the action described above whereby the extreme lower edge of the skirt will be forced into close engagement with the underside of the annular shoulder about the mouth of the can. The straight throat is also of importance in the crowning of cans because it tends to mold the outer edge of the can mouth to a shape to result in a close seal betwen the same and the skirt of the cap.

As has been heretofore explained, the pressei' foot will not come in contact with the presser foot stop rod during the crowning of the can and, for that reason, the only downward pressure which will be exerted upon the can will be that of the presser foot spring I41.

The depth, vertically, of the locking ring LR of the standard can illustrated in Figure 7 is less than the depth of the locking ring of the standard bottle. This is due to the fact that the distance D from the upper surface of the can mouth to the centerpoint of the radius RA of the curve forming the edge of the lower shoulder U of the ring is .010" less than the corresponding measurement D of the standard bottle illustrated in Figure 8. This radius is the same both for the than occurs with a bottle.

By using a rigid crowning throat having a.

straight bore' of'uniform diameter, the skirt of the cap will be ironed inwardly along the under shoulder U of the can locking ring, causing the entire cap to be drawn further downwardly with respect to the mouth of the can and compressing the cork lining of the capto a greater extent This entireaction, affording a'seal equally eflicient to that provided on a bottle, is obtained merely by the uselof the pressure derived from the comparatively light presser foot spring I". j r

A crowning throathaving a straight-walled bore of uniform diameter accomplishes the emcient sealing described above with a minimum downward movement, it being noted in Figure 11, which shows the crowning die at its lowest position, that the lower extremity of the straightbore portion of the throat moves only very slightly past the lower edge ofthe cap skirt to apply the cap. Even at this position, the clearance between the depending skirt I31 of the throat and'the upper wall of the can body will be very small. r j Because of the fact that, the can shoulder is of less depth than abott1e,itmight be expected that sincethe area of contact between the vertical portion of the cap skirt and the can mouth is thus reduced, a less efficient seal would be obtained. However, this factor is more than offset by the circumstance that the contact of the metal skirt with the metal can mouth gives higher coeiiicient of friction than occurs between a metal skirt and a glass bottle mouth. Also, the above-mentioned action of the crowning die in drawing the cap liner into a'more closely compressed form and the presence of a greater length'of the cap skirt beneath the locking'ring will augment the seal. H o

The continued rotation of the crowning head will cause the cam trackand block I00 to raise thefcrowning cylinder out of contact with the can and cap and when the crowning head entirely rises "fromthe cap, the weight of the filled can C will prevent the can from, rising with the magnetic pressure foot. In the event that the can which has been capped is an empty can, it will be heldfrom rising with the presser foot by the over-hanging plate I on the guide member 51. As thecrowningmechanisrn rotates, the can will leave the crowning dial and will move upon the outfeed end of the straight line conveyor".

Operation of crouminghead for bottles For crowning long-necked bottles, a crowning throat I10 illustrated in Figures 9, 10 and 16 is fitted in the die chamber I39 of each crowning head. The throat ring I10 is substantially identical in construction with the throatring I35 used for crowning cans except that the wall of thece'ntral bore III is tapered very slightly inwardly from its lower end I12 to its upper end. Also, the edge of the lower end I12 of the bore may be somewhat more rounded than the corresponding edge of the throat ring I35.

,To enable bottles tobe properly centered on the crowning dial54 with respect to the mouth of the corresponding crowning headfa spider I15 may be secured to the lower'sleeve 52a of the crowning mechanism body portion, this spider crowning head to insure that the bottle will be properly centered, regardless of the mum the neck of the bottle may not be concentric with the axis of the body portion or the bottle.

To enable the .crowning mechanism] to operate upon bottles, the portion 52 would be raised by vertical raising of the post 4! to position the crowning heads at the proper point withflregard to the bottles to be crowned, whetherthe bottle is of the long-necked'type shownin' Figure 9 or the short-necked type shown in Figure 10. Also, I

the presser foot stop rod Iil of each crowning head would be adjusted downwardly so that the upper portion of the presser foot would contact therewith after the cap and throat ringhave moved down a short distance about the mouth of the bottle.

In the operation of the crowning mechanism shown in Figures 6 and 9 for long-necked bottles, the caps would be delivered to the crowning heads in the manner heretofore described in 1 connection with the crowningof cans. when a bottle 'is positioned beneath a crowning head,

the subsequent downward movement of the crowning head will, "upon contact of the cap ward movement about the skirt of the cap. A

slight upward movement or the presser ioot I45 with respect to the descending crowning head will likewise cause the presser foot stop rod I50 to be raised withrespect to the crowning head, drawing the sleeve I25 upwardly with respect to the crowning head and against the action of the stronger spring I23. As a result, the crowning pressure applied upon the; cap and bottle will approximate seven hundred and fifty pounds.

As thethroat ring moves downwardlyabout the cap, its tapered bore III will force theskirtlof the cap inwardly and position its lower edge beneath the lip of the bottle as shown in Figure 8.

The operation described above will be the same for the shorter type bottle shown in Figuredo,

except that the crowning heads must be moved further downwardly'in the initial setting oi the mechanism, and a neckspider such as I15, but having its pockets of a proper size to fit the necks of the shorterbottles, would be fitted upon the crowning mechanism. a

In crowning short-necked bottles, a straightbored die throat I35 may likewise be used, with the presser-loot stop rod I50 set to contact with the presser foot as described above in connection with the crowning of long and short-necked bottles so as to exert a high crowning pressure... The abilityto use astraight-bored throat lsdependent upon the fact that the newly introduced short-necked bottles have all been made under present day improved bottle molding practice, so that they are more uniform than the long- ,necked bottles, any run of which may include old bottles of comparatively non-uniform configuration. I

Modified form of crowning mechanism being provided with an indentation beneath each ing about a fixed post I82 projecting upwardly 75 from the. base I80. The post I82 supports the crowning head supporting casting I83, which is rotated about the post I82 with the table I8I by suitable driving means of well known type and including a hollow vertical shaft I84 to which the table is fixed and towhich the crowning head casting I83 is keyedas indicated at I85. The crowning head casting I83 is adapted to be vertically adjusted on the hollow shaft I84 by means of a collar I88 threaded on the hollow shaft.

The table IN is provided with'container'supporting platforms I81 adapted to be reciprocated vertically by contact of rollers I88 carried by the lower ends of the platforms with a cam track I88 mounted in the base.

As shown in Figure 18, the crowning head casting I83 is provided with vertical bores or cylinders I85 in each of which a crowning head generally designated by thenumeral I88 is positioned. Each crowning head comprises a sleeve I81 enlarged at its lower endto provide a die chamber I88 and has lateral projections I88a spaced about its lower portion, each projection being provided with an upward extension cooperating with a key 200 in the casting I83 to hold the crowning head against rotation in the cylinder I85. The sleeve I81 is supported in the chamber I85 by means of a relatively strong spring 20I positioned between .the projections I88a and the upper edge of chamber I85.

Each sleeve I81 carries a magnetic presser foot 202 having a rod 203 threaded in its upper portion, the rod being provided with a flange 206 adjacent its upper end against which bears .a presser foot spring 201. The extreme upper end 208 of the rod 283 is arranged opposite a presser foot stop or connecting member 208 threaded in a block 2I0 threaded into and closingthe upper end of the chamber I81. The position of the stop 10!! with regard to the upper end of the rod 288 may thus be. adjusted, the stop being held in adjusted position by a suitable lock-nut 2. The cap hopper H5 is keyed to the fixed post I82 but is supported upon the upper portion of the crowning head casting I83 so that vertical adjustment of the latter casting will cause the hopper 2I5 as well as the cap chute 2I8 to move vertically. .The lower end of the cap chute 2I8 terminates in a cap supporting plate 2I1 of identical construction with that described in connection with Figures 1 to 16.

Operation of crowning head for cans In order to support cans on the apparatus of Figure 17, each container supporting platform wouldbe provided with an adapter 220 illustrated in detail in Figures 18 and 19. As best shown in Figure 19, the adapter 220 is provided with a base 22I and an upstanding portion 222. The base 22I has apertures 223 adapted to receive screws by which it may be secured on the upper end ofa container supporting platform. Its upstanding portion 222 is arcuate in shape to partially encircle the body portion of the can. Cans sometimes move through a filler without being filled, and to prevent such unweighted cans from being lifted by the magnetic presser foot 202 when the latter rises, a flange 225 projects from the upper end of the upstanding portion 222, this flange being arranged to overlie the upper shoulder of ,the body portion of the can to hold an empty can on the adapter against the lifting action of the presser foot 202. The cans are held in the pockets of the adapters 220 by an arcuate guide member 230 supported from the base of the machine.

In the crowning of a can with the mechanism of Figures 1'7 and 18, the rotation of the table I8I will cause the platform and adapter 228 on which the can is carriedto be raised upwardly so that its mouth will be presented to the crowning die, comprising the presser foot 202 and a straight bored throat ring I35 such as is illustrated in Figures 14 and 15, a cap having been positioned on the presser foot of the die from chute 2I6 and plate 2I1 in the manner described in connection with Figures 1 to 16.

In order to crown a can, the stop 208 (Figure 18) will be raised in the block 2I0 a suflicient extent to prevent the rod 203 carried by the presser foot from coming into contact therewith, even in the extreme upward position imparted to the rod.

Thev raising of the can will cause its mouth to move into the cap supported on the presser foot and the cap and presser foot will be forced upwardly, the throat ring I35 remaining stationary during this movement and thereby sealing the cap to the mouth of the can. Since the only spring pressure applied in this crowning operation will be that of the presser foot spring 201, and since the throat ring is identical with the throat ring of Figures 14 and 15, the application of the cap will be the same as has been described in connection with Figures 1 to 16 and the cap will be positioned upon the can as illustrated in Figure 7.

Crowning head used for bottles In order to crown bottles on the mechanism shown in Figures 17 and 18, the crowning head supporting casting I83 would be moved vertically upward to position the crowning heads at the proper height for the bottles to be crowned and the adapter 220 would be removed from the container supporting platforms I81, preferably being replaced by resilient pads arranged to be secured in the sockets in the upper ends of the platform. Also, a neck engaging spider'would be secured to the lower portion of the body casting or the ring I88 by means of which the latter is adjusted, the spider being of the type discussed in connection with Figure 2.

A throat ring I10 as illustrated in Figures 9, 10 and 16 and having a tapered bore would be positioned in the die chamber I88, though in crowning the new short-necked bottles, a straightbored throat I35 may be used. In order that the crowning head may exert the full spring pressure thereof upon the bottles, the presser foot stop 208 would be adjusted downwardly so that it would be engaged by the upper end 208 of the presser foot rod 203 after a short upward movement of the presser foot.-

In operation, shortly after a bottle comes in contact with the lower end of the presser foot,

or rather with the cap carried by the same, the

wardly thereby likewise moving the sleeve I91 upwardly against the action of the heavier spring 20I, the force of both springs thus being exerted upon the container.

Whichever type of throat ring is used in crowning bottles in the apparatus of Figure 17, the action of such a throat ring would be the same as has been described in connection with the apparatus of Figures 1 to 16 and the cap would be applied as shown in Figure 8.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the drawings and that the phraseology employed in the specification is for the purpose of description and not or limitation.

I claim:

1. In a flush-bottomed crowning head, a throat ring having a portion cut away at one lower edgeto enable a cap to be laterally moved into the crowning head.

2. In a crowning head, a presser foot normally positioned substantially flush with a lower surface of the head, the presser foot being formed of magnetic material to cause a cap to adhere thereto, and means to present a cap to said presser foot.

3. The combination in a crowning mechanism, of a support, a crowning head rotatable upon said support, cap feeding means including a chute fixed to said support, afixed plate upon which the lower end of the chute opens to receive caps from the chute, said crowning head being movable across the upper surface of said plate and opposite the lower end of said chute, a magnetic element in said crowning head to pick up caps from said plate during movement over the same, and means associated with the crowning head to normally close the open end of said chute.

4. The combination in a crowning mechanism, of a crowning head including a magnetic crowning die element normally positioned flush with a lower surface of the head, a fixed plate, cap feeding means including a chute having an end opening to said plate, said means being adapted to urge caps in said chute toward said plate, said crowning head being movable. across said plate and opposite the open end of said chute to receive a cap therefrom so that the magnetic die element will receive the cap, and means associated with said crowning head to normally maintain the open end at said chute closed.

5. The combination in a filling machine for operating upon containers of a plurality of types, of a filling mechanism and a crowning mechanism, said filling mechanism including a filling head adapted to receive one of a plurality of filling nozzles according to the type of container to be operated upon, and said crowning mechanism including a crowning member, means to maintain said crowning member in crowning position with respect to a container, said last named means comprising a plurality of elements, and

.means adapted to be selectively actuated to conmounted on said throat ring carrying member in alignment with said presser foot, said connecting element being mounted and arranged to be selectively positioned either in or entirely out of the path of movement of said presser foot so that the total crowning pressure upon containers may be varied, said presser foot being of uniform diameter a sufllcient distance below its shoulder that upward movement of said presser foot will be unobstructed by said restriction.

7. The combination in a crowning mechanism for operation upon containers of a plurality of types, of a supporting element, a throat ring carrying member provided with a bore and a restriction in the bore to form an upwardly facing shoulder, a presser foot movable in said bore and including a downwardly facing shoulder to normally seat on the shoulder of said member, a relatively light spring to resist movement of said presser foot, said spring being of sufficient strength to provide capping pressure for containers of certain types, a relatively heavy spring to resist movement of said throat ring carrying member, said spring being of sufllcient strength that, acting with said first spring, it will provide higher capping pressure for containers of other types, and a connecting element mounted on said throat ring carrying member in alignment with said presser foot and arranged to be selectively moved upwardly to leave said presser foot free for upward movement, said presser foot being of uniform diameter below its downwardly facing shoulder so that upward movement of said presser foot will be unobstructed by said restriction.

WIL'I'IE I. GLADFBL'IER. 

